The thermal reaction and the combustion of non - pollutant solid rocket propellant containing
ammonium perchlorate (NH4ClO4) were studied by thermal analysis, combustion experiments
and analyses of the reaction residue in order to clarify the mechanism of combustion of non - pollutant solid
rocket propellant. The results obtained are as follows.
Iron oxide is a representative catalyst of usual solid rocket propellant containing ammonium perchlorate.
The mechanism of this catalytic effect was estimated as that the formation of an unstable iron perchlorate in the
course of reaction. But, it had no catalytic effect on the NH4ClO4 Sodium nitrates
- (NaNO3) - Al - binder propellant and NH4NO3 - Al / Mg - binder propellant from the
experiments of thermal reaction and combustion. This reason was ascribed to the formation of
sodium perchlorate and ammonium nitrate which were more stable compared to ammonium
perchlorate because of the double decomposition between ammonium perchlorate and sodium
nitrate in NH4ClO4 - NaNO2 - Al - binder propellant on heating.
Then, iron oxide or other iron containing catalyst had also no catalytic effect on sodium perchlorate and ammonium nitrate.
Active carbon had a catalytic effect both on the thermal reaction and combustion of NH4ClO4
- NaNO3 - Al- binder propellant. Moreover, pressure index calculated from Vieille's equation was a
small value of 0.43 - 0.52 compared to that without catalyst. Oxides, which had the Structure of
perovokite type also, had a catalytic effect on the NH4ClO4 - NaNO3 - Al -
binder propellant, though its effect was smaller than that compared to active carbon.